Deep Space Rendezous Point

UCSS Verbatim

The Victory Star Destroyer Verbatim slid through the black space, her only companion the dead asteroid nicknamed Skip Alpha by the crew, which she doggedly kept pace with.

They had recieved the message three days ago, and as soon as they had the Star Destroyer had been assigned to the mission. The message had come from an unidentified source, but strangely carried all the neccessary markings to make it catch the notice of Seti Ashar.

Seti was standing at the viewports on the silent bridge, overlooking the empty space beyond, when Captain Adriff arrived.
"XR-28 has returned with the report from Bespin, sir." He said briskly. "Another message from your source. They're reporting that they're en route to our location. ETA sixteen minutes, now."

Seti nodded. In the last three days, the Captain had gone from being convinced that the message was from some stranded Corporate vessel, to a fake, to a message faked by their enemies, and now seemed convinced that it was legitimate... though from who, he had not the slightest clue.

In all fairness, though, he had had the last three days to think it over. Communications blackout meant that the ship was totally isolated from the rest of the galaxy.

"I don't like it, sir." Adriff said quietly, almost as if reading Seti's mind. The CEO nodded.
"Nor do I, Captain. But if we patch into the holonet, even for a second, everyone from Imperial Centre to Tatooine will know we're here. And there are many who would love an oppertunity to take potshots at Seti Ashar."

Adriff nodded as well and moved to stand beside Seti.
"What do we expect from these... people... sir?" He asked, and Seti didn't answer for a moment. When he did, it was slow and careful.
"I'm not sure exactly, Captain. They're an unknown variable. We haven't heard of them at all... we're not even sure who they are at all, or where they come from."
"But they're interested in contacting us."
"Yes."

Adriff nodded and turned away.
"Captain," Seti said, not turning. "what's there ETA?" The man checked his watch and replied, "Eight minutes, sir."

A single Eluder fighter dropped out of Hyperspace in front of the giant wedged star destroyer, and came to rest at the point.

The ship was unmaned, flying instead on a pre-programmed command sequence, which had kicked in as it dropped out from lightspeed.

The fighter hovered before turning away from the Verbatim and jumping once again into hyperspace.


"Sir?" came a faint call from the Verbatim's sensor station "That fighter's left a small radiation trail, not to strong, but strong enough,"


"To follow." continued Seti, who grinned in anticipation.

"Plot a pursuit course and engage."


.................

Five long minutes and a short Lightspeed jump later, the fighter and persuing star destroyer dropped from Hyperspace and into a nearby system.


The eluder continued on it's course, holding it straight and true, slowly and surely it pandered on, making sure it's guest's followed.


Meanwhile Seti Ashar gazed on with intrigue.

"Look, it's headed for that small moon." called an ensign.

The Verbatim shook slightly as the wedge-shaped Star Destroyer reverted to realspace once more. Judging by their jump direction and duration, they had travelled a little way past Ison and into uninhabited space.

If space could get more uninhabited than it already had been.

"Status?" Seti barked, scanning empty space for the lone fighter. One of the ensign's returned prompty, his voice singing out from the crew pit below.
"It's headed for that small moon."

Seti nodded, his eyes finding the moon in question.
"Helm, all ahead full." There was a pause as the engines kicked into full gear, and the lone starship began to hurl through space.

The ship was indeed alone, but the awesome wedge of her bow, the sharpening of her frame to form a dagger shape, gave the impression of great power. A dagger, Seti mused. But a dagger far deadlier than most.

"Sir, we're being hailed!" The voice came from behind him, and Seti turned slowly to face the young ensign. He stared coldy into the man's eyes for a moment, not speaking. When he did, his words were slow, cold, and harsh.

"Ensign!" The man snapped to attention, and Seti nodded approvingly.

"This is a vessel of war, and for the time being I am in command of her. Do you know what that means?"

The man shook his head slowly, and Seti snapped at him.

"It means that ensigns do not call information across the bridge without being invited to do so." He said, somehow managing to speak softly and yet still give the impression that he was yelling at the man.

"Do you understand that?"

The man only nodded.

"Answer me!"

"I understand that, sir!" He said nervously, swallowing several times.

"Good. Do not forget this. Now, what is this information that you so foolishly yell out earlier?"

"We're recieving a hail, Sir." The ensign reported. "They're asking for Seti Ashar."

"Very good. You are dimissed, ensign." He turned his back on the man and called out, "Communications, on screen!"

The crackling static on the screens throughout the Verbatim's command bridge fizzled slowly out and were replaced by the image of a tall grotesque creature. His red-stained eyes pierced through the screen and into the eyes of every single crew member, fixing them to the spot. All except the commander, Seti Ashar, who's eyes stared back, equally with the same fire.


"Greetings." came the voice of the beast on the other end of the comms channel, "I am K'taruuk, of the Retakkenari High Command, as you can imagine commander Ashar, we have much to talk about.


Therefore I suggest a meeting. I am willing to convene with you, on these terms. You will land on the moon with one aid, and no weapons." K'taruuk produce a chuckling sound which was more like a low pitched grunt. "Of course this is simply precautionary. Don't misunderstand me though, I don't trust you, I'm merely being careful, surely you would do the same.


I await you're reply."


The video feed abrubtly ceased and was once again replaced by a hail of static.

The screen warped slightly and showed a shower of static before forming into the image of an alien creature roughly resemlbing a hybrid of an insect and a reptile.

Seti felt the crew members revolt at the sight of this creature, and smiled thinly. The thing's eyes boar into every man on the ship, a deep, blood chilling red that would make many a man shiver in dread of what was to come.

Seti simply nodded slightly to the creature, inviting him to speak.

"...greetings. I am K'taruuk, of the Retakkenari High Command, as you can imagine commander Ashar, we have much to talk about..."

Seti did not respond, instead only continuing to stare at the creature, a fire burning in his eyes, and a fire burning in the eyes of the other. A test of both their wills, and neither, it seemed would win it before the other spoke.

Finally, K'taruuk did so, his voice ringing through the ship again.

"...Therefore I suggest a meeting. I am willing to convene with you, on these terms. You will land on the moon with one aid, and no weapons..."

The creature uttered what sounded like a low pitched grunt at this. Seti assumed that the creature was laughing, but could not be sure either way of what it meant.

"...of course this is simply precautionary..."

He continued, bending his face in his species' version of a smile.

"...don't misunderstand me though, I don't trust you, I'm merely being careful, surely you would do the same..."

Seti had time only to offer another nod to the creature before the image went back to static. Slowly, as if waking up from a dream, the bridge crew of the Star Destroyer came back to reality.

The CEO's thin smile returned, and he looked across the room.

"Captain Adriff. What do you think?" The man looked unhappy, and Seti suspected he knew the reason.
"You are prepared to go, sir." He said. No question, but a statement. At a nod from his boss, he continued. "I must, of course, recomend against it. Despite what we may know - or think we know, this could be a trap."

Seti nodded. He had gotten used to traps, but a trap by an unknown alien force was sure to be different... and there would be no easy help here.

"If it is a trap," the Captain went on. "Then it is no doubt one that is well planned. If they can bring you here, no doubt they can tackle a Star Destroyer. If it is a trap, we may not be able to save you, sir."

The businessman was silent as he pondered his options. Going to the moon could mean his death. But it could also mean a great advance of his business and personal affairs. He sighed.

"Send for the new man... Mania Xoverus. I want him to accompany me to the moon." Adriff nodded, resigned, and turned away.

"We will see what you have to offer K'taruuk." He said softly, looking at the moon. "And we will grow in power."

Mania released his force mask for the first time this week. He didn't care how much it was imbued with the power of Ziost, it still required a considerable amount of concentration to keep it on for extended periods of time. Once or twice it had almost started melting away in front of Seti's eyes. And if that happened again and he was someplace where he could not get an easy dismissal he didn't know what he'd do.

The Sith was brought quickly from his thoughts as their came a beep from the hatch to his quarters signifying someone requested enterance. He concentrated hard and the force mask came back to him quickly, it finishing up even as the hatch-door opened and an Ensign came walking in. He cast the man a stern glance.

"I do not remember giving you the order to come in, Ensign."

"Very sorry, sir, but its urgent. Seti Ashar requests your presense on the brid-sir! You're-you're face is-is melting!"

Mania had read the man's thoughts before he had even spoken, and he was up to date on all of the current events. He had been caught up so much in what the strange appearance of the Retakkenari meant, he had let his concentration on his Force mask slip.

"Ahh @#%$..."

In a flash, his plasma claws leapt from his gloves, activating with a soft humming sound as he leapt at the Ensign in the blink of an eye. Befor the startled man could cry out, the claws had cut deep into his throat and esophagus, cutting off his ability to scream. Its not like it would have mattered, the man was already dead.

"You know, its gonna take me some effort to hide you and develop an alabi."

The Sith's claws retracted, and his force mask returned to normal, as he hid the body in his room for the moment and calmly strode out to meet up with Seti on the bridge. Whatever the CEO wanted him for, he hoped it wouldn't involve too much concentration.

As he strode toward the bridge, he passed a group of ensigns by, but they stopped after he had passed and called after him. Mania growled quietly, counted to 10 as fast as he could, sighed, and turned around to greet the group. The last time he had stopped to stay and chat, they had invited him to some party in the barracks.

"Sir, have you happened to see an Ensign that was supposed to come down you and inform you of your orders to the bridge?"

"Yes, in fact, I did. I sent him on hangar duty. Perhaps you four would like to join him?"

"No, sir, thats quite alright."

The men quickly scrambled to leave and report back to whoever had sent them, not very anxious to get involved with any extra work, especially hangar duty which involved dealing with the cocky and superior-acting pilots. Mania turned again, determined to reach the bridge without any more interruptions, worrying constantly about the integrity of his force mask.

The bridge turbolift whirred to a stop and chimed, signifying someone entering the command sanction of the Star Destroyer. Seti smiled thinly as the doors parted, revealing th figure of Mania Xoverus.

He did not know the man well, but he had been assured that he was a most excellent bodyguard and had trained in a dozen or more forms of various martial arts and hand to hand combat styles.

Seti greeted him with a nod, welcoming him to the bridge and waiting patiently as he crossed the command walkway to stand beside the CEO.

"Mr. Xoverus, a pleasure to have you with us." He said. ""We have recieved an... invitation to join K'taruuk one the surface of this planetoid. I was hoping that you would like to... join me, in case of any unpleasentness down there."

K'taruuk waited on the surface of Sha'aktaar, a small desolate planetoid weilding only but the most basic of single-celled organisms. It's surface covered for miles in sharp, rocky terrain, truly an unforgiving world.

The outermost planet in the system, Sha'aktaar's climate was a rag tag mix of freezing, acidic rain storms and icey blizzards, much like the savage world of Vjun. It took almost seven hundred standard years for the planet to orbit it's sun, only ever coming close to something resembling warmth once in all that time.

It was the perfect world to hold such a meeting of first contact with another species. The climate tilted the negotiations in his favour . . .the freezing winds and biting blizzards threw even those most seasoned to the cold off. I his youth , K'taruuk spent much time in the icey frozen wastelands on Retak, living for almost thirty years adapting his lungs, breathing the semi-noxious fumes given off by the mercury-laced glaciers.




On a small plateau, atop one of the highest peaks on the planet, K'taruuk waited, flanked by one of his Irakashee guards. He titled his face into the air, letting the stinging breeze catch his stoney, armour-clad features. He knelt down to the ground and scooped a hand-full of soil in his meaty talons. He spat into his palm, mixing his saliva with the soil, then spread his handful of the red ash in one long streak across his chest, then lent back, and unleashed a howl from deep within himself, his four lungs bringing fourth the most blood-curdling roar that seemed to perforate the ear piercing winds that bounded around him.


"They are coming, it all begins here."

The shuttle, from all appearences a standard Lambda Class Craft, shuddered as it descended below the thin cloud layer of the planetoid and was buffeted by the feirce winds. The tall wing, one that gave the shuttle the appearence of some kind of ancient sea monster, was stout in its design, but the surface area it presented gave the prevailing winds a strong foothold against the shuttle.

"Pilot?" Seti called forward, making sure his belt was strapped down tight. "Where's our beacon?"

The pilot, dressed in the standard gray suit of the Corporation, craned his neck to reply and shouted, "About ten klicks North of here. We'll be there soon, Sir!"

The CEO nodded and turned to his bodyguard and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What do you think?"

The other man shrugged and said nothing, and the shuttle continued its descent into the dead world's atmosphere, towards a meeting with an unknown alien force whose motives were, at best, unknown.